How Faculty Can Help Undocumented Students

  • Know your institutional policies; try to know your state laws, your local and national advocacy organizations that are working for comprehensive immigration reform, and your state and federal representatives.
  • If you live in a state that offers in-state tuition for undocumented students, advocate for clear communication of policies to faculty, staff, students, and feeder high schools.
  • Work with your college or university foundation to open up existing scholarships to undocumented students and to create additional scholarships specifically for undocumented students.
  • At faculty and administrative meetings, ask how policies and programs will affect undocumented students.
  • Find out what your institution’s enrollment, retention, and graduation data are for undocumented students: is the institution serving the students or simply enrolling them?
  • Create awareness of immigration reform by asking your “on-campus” immigration experts to give a public talk, or bring in community speakers, films, and local advocacy organizations.
  • If a student tells you he or she is undocumented, validate the student’s experience as significant and listen.
  • Challenge language and media representations.
  • Do not provide legal advice, but do connect students to community organizations that can.
  • Connect students to on-campus advocates, student groups, and resources; support those groups.

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